The Little Dog Laughed launched a pilot program at McKay Elementary School in 2011 and continues to offer the program there.The Little Dog Laughed

When dog trainer Linda Keast came up with the idea for an animal-assisted therapy program to teach kids positive communication skills, you might say something clicked.

Keast is a webmaster and volunteer for Animal Aid, one of the participating organizations in the Washington County Animal Protection Multi-Disciplinary Team.

Made up of social service agencies, law enforcement and animal-welfare groups, the task force investigates the link between domestic violence and animal abuse and identifies tangible ways to protect victims and animals.

"These kids are in a highly volatile state, they’re hyper-vigilant, they’re not ready to trust anyone because they’ve been betrayed by people that they trusted, and they start closing down," Keast says. "What you need to work with somebody in this vulnerable state is calmness and a carrot that they’re willing to work for."

So Keast, who has been using clicker training for years, came up with a unique concept: Why not apply those skill sets toward teaching healthy communication?

She developed age-appropriate curriculum and content with her own dog, Eli, and created the "STAR" program, for "See, Tag and Reward."

Participants use their voice and body to help the dog understand what they want it to do. When the dog responds appropriately, the trainer marks, or tags, that behavior with a click and then rewards it with a treat or favorite toy.

Program participants learn problem-solving skills by breaking complex behaviors down into bite-sized pieces.

"We have a phrase for it: ‘How do you eat an elephant’?" Keast says. "One bite at a time."

For instance, they can start by training Eli to push a ball with his nose. Once he's achieved that, he can push the ball through a "soccer goal," and then learn to jump through a hula hoop before pushing the ball through the goal.

On Tuesdays, Keast and Eli work with school children at Raphael House of Portland, which runs a domestic violence shelter and advocacy center.

"It’s been amazing to see how interacting with Linda and Eli has helped our kids come out of their shells, learn how to set boundaries and have empathy," says Lindsey Vold, youth program coordinator at Raphael House.

As they work with the dogs, the kids learn important lessons about personal boundaries, taking cues from others and adjusting their behaviors accordingly.

"Linda talks a lot about how Eli has ownership of his own body, so it's about watching Eli’s body cues to see whether he wants to be touched by a kid," Vold says. "The kids start to think about that."

Because some of the children must leave the shelter suddenly, Keast also created a "goodbye kit" for them to take with them, containing a flashlight, sticker and temporary tattoo.

"It’s the idea of keeping a connection," Vold says. "Our kids have gone through homelessness and trauma and have a lot of loss in their life."

Keast brings a host of props along with her to the sessions, including kazoos.

"The kazoo is a way for the kids to try to visualize what human language sounds like to dogs," says board member Tina Arth. "It's like the adult in a Charlie Brown cartoon."

Currently, there are three dogs in the program: Keast's own two Papillons, Eli and Lili, and another rescue dog named Robert. A fourth rescue dog is in training.

Participating dogs need to meet only a few criteria: they must be safe around children, familiar with the clicker and registered with a national therapy organization.

The "Star" dogs have very different jobs than therapy dogs, however. Dogs in programs such as Pet Partners provide comfort to people in schools, nursing homes and other facilities by allowing people to hug them and be physically affectionate.

"We’re addressing an entirely different set of needs," Keast says. "We are teaching specifically that you can get another living being to cooperate with you through positive means."

The kids first practice on each other, learning to convey what they want the other person to do by rewarding them with M&Ms.

The Little Dog Laughed is the only organization of its kind, Keast says.

In the fall, Pacific University psychology students will begin collecting data and come up with objective ways to measure the program's effectiveness.

As for where the nonprofit got its name? It was inspired from the nursery rhyme "Hey diddle diddle," but it also underscores the importance of reading an animal's body language - the crux of the program.

When they see that unmistakable “doggie grin,” the kids will know that they’re doing a good job.

"It is from the kids' rhyme," Keast says, "but the fact of the matter is, dogs that are really having a good time all have those smiles."

If you want to get involved: The Little Dog Laughed welcomes people who are interested in volunteering with the organization. They can use volunteer grant writers and people who can help with planning and evaluating the curriculum, as well as prop donations and financial contributions.

For more information, send an e-mail to STAR@theLittleDogLaughed.org or call 971-266-1505.